Every article, in one place
Guides, explainers and opinion on the smart factory, shopfloor AI and MES/MOM. Newest first.
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The essential guides
How to modernise a factory, step by step
A practical route from paper and spreadsheets to a connected, data-driven factory: what to do first, and how to know you're ready for the next step.
ERP, MES, MOM and the rest of the stack: what each one does
ERP, MES, MOM, APS, WMS, QMS, LIMS, EAM, PLM, SCADA and IIoT side by side: what each one does, what data it owns, and whether you need it.
Shopfloor applications explained: what each one does, and why
Production, quality, inventory, maintenance, connected worker and AI: what each shopfloor application does, and one platform versus several.
Where to start with a smart factory: your first 90 days
A practical plan for the first 90 days of a smart factory programme: what to do each month, and how to pick the first site before talking to vendors.
Everything else
First pass yield vs rolled throughput yield: which one tells the truth?
First pass yield measures right first time at one step. Rolled throughput yield multiplies every step. How to calculate both, and what final yield hides.
Industry 4.0 vs Industry 5.0: what's actually different?
Industry 4.0 is about connected machines and data. Industry 5.0 adds people, resilience and sustainability. What's actually different on the shopfloor.
MTBF vs MTTR vs MTTF: maintenance metrics explained
MTBF, MTTR and MTTF explained: how to calculate each reliability metric, how they combine into availability, and where reliable data comes from.
PLC vs SCADA vs DCS vs MES: the automation stack explained
PLCs control machines, SCADA supervises them, a DCS controls process plants and MES/MOM manages the operation. The automation stack, layer by layer.
QMS vs LIMS vs MES: which quality system does what?
A QMS runs the quality system, a LIMS runs the lab and MES/MOM runs quality on the line. What each one does, where they meet, and which you actually need.
Takt time vs cycle time vs lead time: what each one measures
Takt time is the pace demand sets, cycle time is how fast you work and lead time is how long customers wait. How to calculate each, and how they relate.
ERP vs MRP vs MES: what each one does, and how they fit together
ERP runs the business, MRP plans what to make and buy, and MES/MOM runs it on the shopfloor. What each does, and how the three fit together.
ISA-88 and ISA-95: how the two standards fit together
ISA-88 standardises batch control; ISA-95 connects manufacturing operations to the business. What each covers, and how the two standards fit together.
What is a unified namespace (UNS)? And where MES/MOM fits
A unified namespace shares live data through a central broker. What a UNS is, its risks, whether it can replace MES, and the alternatives.
What is ERP, and why every manufacturer needs a good one
ERP is the backbone of a manufacturing business, running finance and planning on one set of data. What it does well, and where specialists take over.
Lot vs batch vs serial traceability: how granular do you need to be?
Lot, batch, serial and time-based traceability explained: how granular you need to be, whether lot and batch differ, and how to choose per product.
The smart factory glossary
Every acronym from APS to UNS in one place. Plain-English definitions of the MES, MOM, smart factory and shopfloor AI terms you'll hear.
Connecting MES/MOM to everything else: integration patterns that last
Point-to-point, middleware, event-driven or UNS. How to connect MES/MOM with ERP, PLM, WMS and QMS, and choose a pattern that survives upgrades.
Historian vs MES: what each one stores, and whether you need both
A historian stores high-frequency process values. MES/MOM reads values too, adds context and runs the work. For most manufacturers, MES/MOM removes the need for a separate historian.
Closing the loop: service data back to the shopfloor and engineering
When a product fails in the field, the answer is often in the as-built record. How service, ERP, MES/MOM and PLM connect to turn failures into fixes.
MES/MOM in regulated industries such as pharma and medical devices
What changes when regulators and customers audit your shopfloor. Electronic batch records, device records, first article inspection, PPAP and traceability.
LIMS and MES: getting lab results to the line before the batch moves on
A good MOM handles sampling, lab tests, SPC and certificates of analysis itself. When a separate LIMS earns its place, and how the flow works with and without one.
EAM, CMMS and MES: who owns the maintenance work order?
Maintenance data sits in EAM, CMMS, ERP and MES/MOM. Where each one's job starts and stops, and the integration options that keep downtime data consistent.
Maintenance strategies: reactive, preventive, condition-based or predictive?
Reactive, preventive, condition-based and predictive maintenance compared: what each one costs, and how to choose the right one per asset.
QMS and MES: closing the quality loop
A good MOM does everything a standalone QMS does, with the production context a QMS never has. Why a separate QMS is almost always the wrong choice, and how to close the quality loop.
APS vs ERP scheduling: when ERP is enough, and where MES fits
ERP plans, APS sequences against real capacity, and MES/MOM releases work to the line and feeds back actuals. When ERP scheduling is enough, and where each one fits.
WMS vs MES vs ERP: who owns inventory once it reaches the line?
ERP, WMS and MES/MOM all track stock. Where the boundaries sit for warehouse, line-side and WIP inventory, and how material is handed over between them.
From CPQ to the shopfloor: building what the customer actually configured
Configured and engineer-to-order products start in CPQ. How the configuration reaches the operator through ERP, and when PLM gets involved too.
EBOM, MBOM, as-built: who owns the BOM at each stage
A bill of materials changes shape four times between engineering and shipment. Which system owns it at each stage, and where MES/MOM fits.
PLM, ERP and MES: where the digital thread actually runs
How product data gets from PLM to the shopfloor. Why ERP usually sits in the middle, when a direct PLM to MES link makes sense, and how to choose.
Agentic AI and MCP, explained for people who run factories
Agentic AI and MCP are all over LinkedIn. What they actually are, and what must be in place before any agent touches production.
Code, build, stitch or configure: four ways to run your shopfloor systems
Four ways to run shopfloor systems: code from scratch, build from blocks, stitch point solutions together, or configure a platform. The trade-offs of each.
Digital twins run on shopfloor data. MES/MOM is where it comes from
A digital twin is only as good as the data feeding it. MES/MOM is the key source of real-time, contextualised shopfloor data that keeps a twin honest.
Eight smart manufacturing myths that refuse to die
AI will solve everything on its own. Excel is good enough. IIoT replaces MES. Eight myths I hear in boardrooms and on LinkedIn every week, and why they're wrong.
The smart factory tech stack, system by system
ERP, PLM, APS, MES/MOM, WMS, CMMS, LIMS, historians and data platforms. What each system does, where the boundaries sit, and how they fit together.
Rolling out across sites: the centre of excellence and template approach
How multi-site manufacturers scale MES/MOM: an enterprise template with local exceptions only, owned by a centre of excellence.
SPC on the shopfloor: catch the drift before it becomes scrap
Statistical process control explained for operations leaders. Control charts, capability, the rules that matter, and why SPC belongs in MES/MOM at the line.
AI for the frontline: copilots, shift summaries and coaching
AI for operators should give every new starter your best operator's knowledge, not replace people. What works today, and why it needs MES/MOM context.
What the research says about smart factory ROI
What the research from Deloitte, LNS Research, IoT Analytics and others shows about smart factory returns, and what it doesn't show.
OEE vs OOE vs TEEP: which measure answers which question
OEE, OOE and TEEP use the same losses against different amounts of time. What each one measures, how to calculate them, and when to use which.
The biggest barriers to MES success in food manufacturing
MES success in food depends on the people as much as the technology. The team, the scope, the master data and the platform choice are where projects succeed or stumble.
Replacing a homegrown MES: the people problem nobody plans for
Replacing a homegrown MES brings challenges few anticipate: the people who built it, and the urge to rebuild the old system feature by feature.
Historians, data lakes and data fabric: where shopfloor data lives
Historians, data warehouses, data lakes, data fabric. Which one holds what, how they relate to MES/MOM, and which layer AI actually reads from.
Go-live is the starting line
Go-live feels like the finish line. It isn't. How hypercare and super users decide whether MES/MOM actually delivers after go-live.
Predictive maintenance needs data you probably aren't collecting yet
From reactive to preventive to condition-based. What predictive maintenance really needs, why downtime data matters so much, and where operators fit in.
Six technology mistakes that sink smart factory projects
ERP wired to machines, homegrown platforms, point solutions, over-customisation and more: six avoidable smart factory technology mistakes.
Skills you can enforce, not just record
Most skills matrices live in a spreadsheet nobody checks at the point of work. Why skills management should block the wrong person, not just report.
OPC UA vs MQTT: which one, and when
OPC UA brings structured, secure machine data; MQTT moves data efficiently to many systems. How they compare, and how to pick the right one for each job.
You can't hit ESG targets without shopfloor data
Ambitious ESG goals, unchanged shopfloors. Why sustainability reporting needs operational data from the factory floor, and where that data comes from.
Cloud vs on-premises MES: how they compare
Cloud vs on-premises MES/MOM compared on security, scalability, upgrades and cost, and why most multi-site MES already depends on the network.
OPC UA, MQTT and UNS in plain English
The shopfloor connectivity layer without the rabbit hole. What OPC UA, MQTT and a unified namespace are, how they relate to MES/MOM, and what to ask vendors.
Shift handover is a process. Treat it like one.
Most shift handovers are a quick chat at the door. Detail gets lost and the next crew starts blind. How to make handover a structured, data-driven process.
Resistance to change is guaranteed. Plan for it.
Every smart factory project meets resistance. Why people resist, and how to invest in adoption, not just implementation.
MES functionality: energy
Most factories can't see energy below the site meter. How MES/MOM attributes energy to machines and products, for cost and sustainability.
Practical GenAI for the shopfloor: four uses that save time today
Four practical ways generative AI already saves time in factories, and the one condition that decides how much each of them delivers.
IT vs OT: why the two worlds think differently, and where MES/MOM sits
IT protects data; OT keeps machines running safely. Why the two worlds think differently, where MES/MOM sits, and how to make convergence work.
SCADA vs MES: what each one does, and do you need both?
SCADA and MES often read the same PLCs. When you need both, when MES/MOM can do the job on its own, and how to decide.
Going paperless: start with the end in mind
If you can't do everything at once, do something. Why removing paper from the shopfloor is a great first step, and the mistake to avoid.
How to choose an MES: 12 questions to ask every vendor
The 12 questions every manufacturer should ask when evaluating MES/MOM, plus the RFP mistakes that make selection harder than it needs to be.
Manufacturing KPIs beyond OEE
OEE isn't the only manufacturing KPI that matters. First pass yield, scrap, changeover time, OTIF, MTBF and MTTR explained, and how to use them.
Digital work instructions that know what's running
Paper instructions go out of date the day they're printed. How digital instructions with production context help new starters get it right in days.
IIoT vs MES: why IIoT doesn't replace MES
IIoT platforms sound cooler than MES. But connecting sensors is a small part of running a factory. Where IIoT fits, where MES/MOM fits, and when you need both.
Configure, don't customise
Configuration, low-code, extensions and customisation are not the same thing. Why the difference decides your total cost of ownership.
MES vs ERP: what each one does, and why most manufacturers need both
ERP runs the business; MES/MOM runs the shopfloor. What each one does, where they overlap, and how they work together in most manufacturers.
MES functionality: tooling
Moulds, dies and fixtures often decide quality. How MES/MOM manages tool life and setups, so the order never waits for the tool.
Your ERP master data isn't ready for MES
MES/MOM needs more detailed master data than ERP was set up with. Why routings built for costing aren't enough, and how to fix master data once.
Connected worker vs MES: standalone app or built into MES/MOM?
Connected worker tools digitise checklists, handover and skills. How they compare with MES/MOM, and the trade-offs of standalone versus built in.
AI, ML and GenAI on the shopfloor: what each one actually does
AI, machine learning and generative AI get used interchangeably. They shouldn't be. What each one is, where it earns its keep in a factory, and what it needs.
How to build an MES business case leadership will sign
Your factory runs on paper, Excel or an outdated homegrown system, and leadership hasn't approved the fix. How to build an MES business case around impact and the cost of waiting.
How long does an MES implementation take?
How long it really takes to get MES/MOM live in the first factory, why I've seen it done in four months, and what drives the range.
MES functionality: maintenance
Why maintenance belongs on the same platform as production: shared downtime data, operators involved, and when a separate EAM still makes sense.
Your traceability probably isn't as good as you think
Batch-level tracking and backflushing in ERP is better than nothing, but far from what's possible. What full traceability looks like in a recall.
Raw machine data is worthless. Context is what makes it useful
A machine signal that says 'stopped' tells you nothing. How MES/MOM turns raw data into contextualised information, and where context gets lost between systems.
Map your processes: know your as-is before you buy anything
Digitise a broken process and you get a faster broken process. How to map what really happens on your shopfloor with swimlanes, then design something better.
Time to truth: how long does your factory take to know what happened?
Follow one stoppage through a factory: how long until the truth reaches the right person, with context? Seven stages, from paper to autonomous operations.
Discrete vs process manufacturing: the types, and why they matter for MES
Discrete, process, batch, continuous and mixed-mode manufacturing explained, with production strategies and why the type shapes your MES choice.
MES vs MOM: why the difference matters when you buy
MES and MOM are sometimes used interchangeably, but they describe different scopes. MES runs production; MOM covers the whole operation.
What is a smart factory? A practical definition
A smart factory isn't science fiction or Industry 6.0. It's people, processes and technology working together on good data. Five things define it.
The biggest challenges in food and beverage manufacturing
Food safety, traceability, waste, give-away and labour: the pressures on food and beverage manufacturers, and where shopfloor systems such as MES/MOM help.
Can MES/MOM improve your bottom line? Where the ROI really comes from
Where MES/MOM moves the P&L: downtime, scrap, admin time, inventory, recalls and energy. How to value each one, and turn it into a business case.
Kaizen and MES: using data to drive continuous improvement
Kaizen needs facts, not opinions. How MES/MOM data supports each step of an improvement cycle, and how to make the gains stick.
How MES takes complexity out of your ERP
ERP wasn't built to run a shopfloor. Where the line between MES and ERP should sit, and how moving execution into MES/MOM simplifies ERP and improves its data.
Building the right team for an MES implementation
MES projects succeed or fail on the people as much as the software. The roles and ways of working to put in place before the first workshop.
AI will transform your factory, if you give it the right data
AI can transform a factory when it has the right data and context to learn from. What a good data foundation looks like, and where AI already delivers.
MES functionality: the complete guide
What MES/MOM does, one function at a time: production, quality, inventory, maintenance, tooling, energy and connected worker, with a guide to each.
MES functionality: warehouse management and logistics
Goods-in, replenishment, putaway, warehouse moves and shipping: how material flows through a factory, and whether ERP, a WMS or MES/MOM should run it.
MES functionality: inventory management on the shopfloor
How MES/MOM manages stock on the shopfloor: lots, serials, containers and handling units, validated consumption, labels, WIP and traceability.
MES functionality: quality operations
In-process quality in MES/MOM: control plans, variables and defects, SPC, automated inspections and holds, and how quality data ties back to every order.
MES functionality: production monitoring
How MES/MOM runs and monitors production orders in real time: counts, scrap, rework, downtime and labour, and how machine data feeds OEE.
What is OEE? How to calculate overall equipment effectiveness
How to calculate OEE step by step with worked examples, and why the bottleneck is the machine that really counts when you measure a line.
Who benefits from MES? Every role, from operator to CEO
Operators, specialists, managers and executives: what each role gets from MES/MOM, and why that matters for your business case.
The history of MES and digitalisation in manufacturing
From clipboards to the cloud: how factory systems evolved into MES and MOM, and what each step tells us about where the shopfloor goes next.
The ISA-95 model explained, and where MES fits
The ISA-95 levels in plain English: what lives at each layer, and how MES/MOM connects ERP above it with the automation below it.
MES functionality: production scheduling
How production orders flow from ERP into MES/MOM, how schedulers sequence and release them, and when a dedicated APS is worth adding.
MESA's MES models, and what ISA taking over means
MESA closed in June 2026 and ISA took over its content. What MESA's MES models said about MES/MOM, and what the change means for the industry.
The MES/MOM market: where it's heading, and what it means for buyers
The MES/MOM market is growing fast and many manufacturers haven't started. Why demand is rising, and how the vendor landscape is splitting.
What is MES/MOM? A guide to MES and manufacturing operations management
MES runs production. MOM runs the whole operation, from production and quality to inventory and maintenance, on the same data. What each one covers.
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New articles on shopfloor AI, smart factory strategy and the MES/MOM lessons I wish someone had told me before my first implementation.
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